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Top 10 Lists: The Top 10 Locations And Eras I'd Most Like To See In An Assassin's Creed Game

Let me start by saying I am not the biggest fan of either Ubisoft or the Assassin's Creed series in general, but I love the settings and the attention to historical detail they put into their games. That is why I figured it might be a neat idea to come up with some locations that I thought would be interesting to see in an AC game.

Now, of course, this will have little to no impact on Ubisoft's decisions on where their games are set, but it is fun to speculate these things, at least it is for me. For each entry, I will have three (sort of) questions: Why they are a good setting, why they might not work out, and the likelihood of them happening. In doing so, I might explain some historical details of each setting, so I hope you at least have an appetite for history, which I suppose you would if you like the Assassin's Creed series.

Please keep in mind that this is my personal opinion and not a definitive list.

Other than that, there's nothing really to be said other than I hope you enjoy this list.

Why this is a good setting:Mesopotamia (most of the present-day Iraq) in this era, was caught in the middle of a major series of wars between the Roman Republic (later Empire) and Parthian Empire. This would be an interesting concept to develop into a game because you could put the player character right in the middle of two major empires battling in your home, so the main character could fight against both sides.

Not only that, you had the Sassanids who played a part in the conflict as well. Seeing as ancient Mesopotamian culture is not necessarily something most people learn about, this would be a cool starting point for people to get interested in that period of civilization, not to mention since a lot of focus nowadays is in the Middle East, it would be something to see how we as people have been doing almost the same thing for centuries.

Why it might not work out:Most likely due to low interest, I don't see this location being fictionalized in the AC universe, however, seeing as Assassin's Creed Origins takes place during the Ptolemaic period of Ancient Egypt, this would not be going as far back as that, so it's possible I suppose.

Likelihood of this happening:Low, we've seen parts of the Roman Empire before, so I don't know if they'd want to revisit this era, even if it's somewhere completely different.

Why this is a good setting:An intense period of revolutionary fighting by the Kosovo Liberation Army against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) this setting would make an interesting period in which the player character could be a resistance member fighting for the independence of their homeland. Also, the country is very beautiful, with Pristina being an amazing location even during its war-torn period, offering many buildings for the player character to hide and scale.

Why it might not work out:To many, this might be way too soon, especially with public opinion still split on the war and its outcome especially in regards to the bombing campaign conducted by NATO forces. Not only that but the relatively present-day setting might be a turnoff for many veteran fans of the series. And I hate to say this, but I'd imagine a lot of gamers in the United States would be very confused about where and what the game's setting would be.

The biggest negative aspect of this setting is the ethnic cleansing that took place during the war and I'm not sure how Ubisoft would deal with that issue. But also, how they could try to make the game appear to not be taking sides and offending either the Albanian Kosovars and their allies and the Serbian side and their allies at the same time would be a tricky task.

Likelihood of this happening: Very low, like some other choices on this list, this might bring even more controversy upon Ubisoft, and I doubt they would want that. However, if they ever wanted to throw a curveball, this would be a very interesting location to look into, especially since outside of Europe, you do not hear much about this event in recent history.

Why this is a good setting:Perfect location to sneak around and stealthily make kills, the jungles of Vietnam as well as the cities and hamlets spread out throughout the then French colony, this game would make a pretty fun environment as well as introduce many people to a time period not visited by many people outside of Southeast Asia. Seeing as assassinations were common during this time period, it would not be hard for Ubisoft to rewrite historical events and people in order to fit a game.

We honestly have quite a bit of games set during the Second Indochina War (Vietnam War) so I do not see why it would be a bad idea to make a game set in the war that got America involved in the first place, I think it is very important to look at what happened instead of pretending it never happened, because that is not healthy, not to mention it does honor those that fought for their freedom against colonial rule, whether you agree with their cause or not.

Why it might not work out:I would imagine a French development studio might not want to recreate a time period where their colonization came to an end as well as a very bloody war that they lost, that would probably be the #1 issue holding back a game like this from being made. Also, I alluded to it earlier, but this is an era that many people probably would not be aware of, and I don't think it has enough knowledge to generate interest into making this location and era into a game for western audiences.

Likelihood of this happening: Very low, seeing as Ubisoft is headquartered in Rennes, France, I do not see them jumping at the chance to relive this moment of French history, but I would definitely be in line to pick this up if they did.

Why this is a good setting: A lot of locations to choose from as well as some pretty awful combat that happened during this horrendous and bloody period in American history, it would cool to have someone fighting for their freedom and the freedom of others against slaveholders in the South with the events of the war presenting a pretty memorable backdrop. Not only that, but there is actually a very weird lack of American Civil War video games that are not RTS or some... mixed reviewed shooters.

That being said, I would absolutely play the heck out of an Assassin's Creed game set in the 1860s-America and it would be pretty nifty to explore places I've actually been to recreated in their past setting. Also, I mean, we do have some seen some incredibly divisive (and diverse) eras in the series, so it is possible they could make this work

Why it might not work out: We already had a few American-centric game in Assassin's Creed III,Assassin's Creed III: Liberation,Assassin's Creed Rogue, and Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag so I do not imagine we'd see another one anytime soon if we even have another one at all. I also do realize that a large percentage of people would be upset with this, a la Wolfenstein II's ad campaign. Only time will tell if we get something like this, but with the likelihood of non-U.S. Citizens not really being interested in another American-centric game being sort of high, I doubt this game would have much traction.

Likelihood of this happening: Low. Coupled with the other amount of places around the world and eras throughout history as well as the unnecessary controversy people would probably make of this game, I don't see Ubisoft going out of their way to make another Assassin's Creed game set in the Americas/United States.

Why this is a good setting:It would be perfect, you could be a resistance fighter from virtually any nation occupied by Axis forces, it doesn't even have to be German-occupying forces, the game could take place in Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North Africa, China, mainland Southeast Asia, and The Philippines! I know a lot of settings on this list make sense, but honestly, this one is very doable if they want to put their spin on an era that has already been done many times by other developers.

It would be epic to be a resistance member in any nation (or somehow have a network of assassins that you swap between), I would completely love this era to show up in an Assassin's Creed game.

Why it might not work out:Other than "been there, done that" I don't know what would stop this location from appearing in the AC universe if they make the game right, I don't know why they should shy away from this. However, the oversaturation of WWII games is a big deal, which brings us to the next part of this...

Likelihood of this happening:Medium, even though many developers took a break from games that look place in World War II, the market is still oversaturated with this setting, it's still fun to kick some Nazi butt and a sort of alternate timeline where you get to be an assassin on the prowl of war criminals, I don't see why it wouldn't be a fun game to play, however there are games that allow you to play as an assassin, silently killing Nazis already, so we'll see if they would go that route or go back to Italy, but this time with a twist, where you are hunting down Italian fascists or kicking other Axis butt out of your country, or literally anywhere else on the planet that was occupied at the time.

Why this is a good setting:It checks a lot of boxes in terms of what I would want in an Assassin's Creed game: it's set during a very turbulent time, it involves a lot of historical people that would make good characters, it's an amazing setting with beautiful architecture, and it's a period often overlooked by Western audiences (yes, I understand why, more about that later).

Considering assassinations were running wild during this period, it absolutely makes sense for an Assassin's Creed game. Not to mention, a DLC where you set out to overthrow Lenin after the revolution would be something worth looking into as well. That being said, I believe it would be actually tremendous for a game, in general, to look into this time period.

Why it might not work out:Sigh, I realize a lot of people miiiiiight not want to play a game that glorifies a very bloody revolution, Vladimir Lenin, and the Soviet Union, but you know what I say to that? It happened in history and the world changed because of it whether you want to say that was good or bad is up to you. I still think they should look into this.

Likelihood of this happening:Low, I think it would be an incredibly fascinating setting, but I believe the controversy regarding Leninism and the violent tactics both the Tsar forces and the Bolsheviks used might be too much for a lot of people to stomach.

Why this is a good setting:We already got a sneak peek at WWI in Syndicate so I do not see why this would not be a bad idea, especially given that Europe was a powder keg waiting to be lit during this time period it would make perfect sense to incorporate a full Assassin's Creed game in this setting. Given that World War I has been given recent media attention in both movies and games, as well as the 100th year anniversary of the end of the war is coming up in 2018, Ubisoft would do good to capitalize on this event.

Why it might not work out:It might seem like Ubisoft is trying to copy EA after the very successful release of Battlefield 1 as well as the question of whether or not it is right to use the anniversary of a major international incident into publicity for a video game? Some might argue it is, however it is history, and we are far removed from those events so I don't see why it would be a bad idea, but I can also see why some people might think it's opening up old wounds.

Likelihood of this happening:Medium. If Ubisoft decides to revisit the Syndicate time frame, this would probably be very likely, however, if they want to visit older locations first, this time period would have to take a backseat.

Why this is a good setting:Another explosive period to visit for this franchise, the main character can be someone who fought with Michael Collins during the Easter Rising of 1916 and been a member or an affiliate of the Irish Republican Army fighting against the British to free Ireland, that or they could be part of the Anti-Treaty forces fighting to gain total independence from England during the Civil War that took place right after the end of the War for Independence.

The options are there, it's just depending on whether or not they want to touch it.

Why it might not work out:They would risk the potential of alienating a majority of their English or Irish fan base depending on what route they wanted to take. There was also a lot of controversy regarding the tactics both sides used during the conflict and that's not even scratching the surface of the conflicts that ensued and the horrific violence people had to suffer through during The Troubles.

Likelihood of this happening:Very low, even though this is a very important moment in world history, it might be best for Ubisoft is shy away from this conflict and let it reside in the annals of history alone. But, if they decided to recreate this time-period, I would be very interested to see how it plays out.

Why this is a good setting:We kind of got a glimpse of a fictionalized version of the Revolution in Red Dead Redemption and other than that, I am not aware of any other game set during the revolutionary period of Mexico. It featured depositions, assassinations, secret agreements, battles, and class struggles. From 1911 to 1920, Mexico saw 10 different presidents, with the shortest one serving for a whopping 45 minutes. If you count the assassination of Pancho Villa in 1923 to be part of this period as, then that meant there were also five assassinations of key members of both sides of the revolution, two of those being presidents.

I suppose it would depend on where the player character stands on the issue, but either way, I feel this setting would fit pretty well with the series.

Why it might not work out:Ubisoft would potentially run the risk of alienating some fans with how they portray revolutionary and counterrevolutionary members. The era might also be too modern for them to want to touch, but if they wanted to go with a different approach in the series and hit a time period that is pretty bare in terms of media, this would be an excellent choice in my opinion.

Likelihood of this happening:Low, I would figure due to the time period, this is most likely never going to happen, but I would love to be proven wrong.

This one is a two for one, I couldn't cut either one out so I decided to keep them both.

Edo Period

Why this is a good setting:The era that preceded the Meiji Restoration as well as the end of Japanese seclusion once Commodore Perry forced Japan to open up to the west, this would be my ideal period in Japanese history to visit in a video game. Seeing as Japan was ruled but the Tokugawa shogunate and their rules of strict order, isolationism, and economic growth, as well as an abundance of arts and entertainment to be enjoyed. However, there was always the threat of the west, and once Perry arrived in 1853 and forced Japan to open up, the decline of the Edo Period had begun.

British, American, Dutch, and French ships even went so far as to bombard the city of Shimonoseki in 1863-1864 (raise of hands of how many Americans knew the United States America was bombing other countries in the middle of its Civil War). Eventually, the Japanese forces could not hold off and the Choshu Domain surrendered to Allied forces, four years later, the Edo Period came to an end and the Meiji Restoration occurred. I know I went on sort of a history tangent, but there was a point to all of that, it would be pretty interesting to have a game set during the period western imperialists forced Japan to open up to them and invaded the island nation. Playing as an assassin trying to fight off imperialists would honestly be pretty interesting.

Why it might not work out:It would be hard to justify setting an entire Assassin's Creed in an era that was relatively peaceful with a momentous change towards the end when western powers flexed their muscles. It's not something I'd imagine a lot of gamers and fans alike would not really jump at this setting, but maybe I am wrong. I do realize, however, that some people might not like playing a game where America, England, France, and The Netherlands are actually the bad guys (spoiler alert: in history, they were the bad guys a lot).

Likelihood of this happening:Low, I just don't see Ubisoft wanting to set a game during this specific period in Japan, however...

Muromachi Period

Why this is a good setting:I mean, samurais alone probably have a lot of people interested in this time period. The wars between domains during this era would create an epic background for players to explore, with the Onin War shattering the loyalty of the shogunate and the daimyos would be something Ubisoft should look into recreating if they want to continue to push out games that sell well.

I think a majority of gamers would love to play a samurai-based Assassin's Creed game, I know I would definitely be interested, that's why I am writing this down.

Why it might not work out:For some reason they do not want to do this, stating oversaturation of the time period, which I suppose can be true, but when a large percentage of your fanbase is asking for this time period, maybe you should look into it. I suppose the only thing in the way is Ubisoft's own stubbornness, if they can get over that, I'm sure it will be made.

Likelihood of this happening:Very high, I mean they would be very late to the dance now because they sat on this period despite fans begging for this setting since the series started, however a game set during this period in Japan would most likely sell like crazy.

Well, there you have it, this short list of historical eras I'd like to see an Assassin's Creed game in, I hope you enjoyed what you read and I also hope you'd want to share your opinion on where you'd like to see an AC game set in.

Here are two honorable mentions that I also thought would have been interesting but did not quite make it on the list:

England: Wars of the Roses (1455-1487) - Series of wars fought for the crown of England, the inspiration behind A Song of Ice and Fire as well as the setting of some of Shakespeare's works. Under-represented in video games.

Canada/America: King William's War (1688-1697) - Part of the Nine Years' War, involving French against English and Colonist forces, almost too close to the setting of the third game, but an interesting time period nonetheless.